Married by Mistake
by ScorplinginTraining
Summary: Marrying Walter O'Brien had crossed Paige's mind before. Truth be told, more than a few times. But anytime she indulged in those daydreams they were set somewhere in the hazy future. After they'd ironed out a few wrinkles. And she'd never in a million years pictured it happening like this. Let's face it, predictable went out the window as soon as she'd joined Team Scorpion.
1. Chapter 1

MARRIED BY MISTAKE

 **AN: I haven't written anything in a couple of weeks. Christmas was more than a little nuts at my house. This is my feeble attempt to jump back in. Tell me if you want to know more. Reviews are the way you'll let me know you're interested.**

Walter O'Brien always liked to plan for every eventuality. At times his plans had to be made on the fly, but even in an emergency, he could typically come up with something feasible and predict the outcome with a reasonable amount of accuracy.

However, sometimes life sneaks up on a person and pounces. Even an exceptionally smart person.

This was one of those times.

He never saw it coming. How on Earth was he going to explain this to Paige?

The genius stood frozen, staring at his phone, hoping Sylvester would call back and say it was all some stupid practical joke. When his cell didn't oblige, he jammed it in his pocket and ran agitated fingers through his hair mentally rehearsing possible delivery methods. Something told him stating bald facts would not be received well in this case.

OXOXOXOXOXO

Paige slouched on an uncomfortable vinyl bench in the tiny waiting area of the so called 'airport' on a wretched, isolated private island somewhere off the coast of Turks and Caicos. She'd had enough of being stuck on islands for three lifetimes. She aimed a resentful glare at the sluggish ceiling fan which barely stirred the sticky air as it creaked and wobbled with each slow rotation.

The whole mission had sucked from start to miserable finish. All she wanted to do was get home, hug her son, and face plant on her bed for a day or ten. She was sleep-deprived, sunburned and sickened by the things they'd encountered over the last few days.

Team Scorpion took the job based on the recommendation of a friend of a friend who heard about the way they'd rescued Richard Elia's daughter from a drug cartel in Mexico. The clients were frantic and willing to pay any amount to get their sixteen year old daughter back from the clutches of the cult that lured her and her eighteen year old boyfriend away from the safety of home. The creepy and charismatic leaders convinced the both of them to cash out their college funds and run off together to this pimple on the backside of the Caribbean.

The parents' fear had resonated strongly in Paige and she was full of sympathy for their predicament. It was harder still to think about the consequences those kids would be returning to face. Likely they'd both need months of counseling and deconditioning and the boy was going to need a good lawyer. Perhaps Sylvester could be talked into taking the case.

Although the team had successfully infiltrated the compound and covertly recovered the kids, it was unfortunate Scorpion wasn't able to uncover any blatant illegalities the cult itself committed. In short, it meant they had to leave the organization in tact to prey on other vulnerable people. That fact frustrated Paige the most.

What in the hell was keeping Walter? He was supposed to be pulling strings trying to find them a ride home.

This horrible slice of Hades boasted only one small commercial flight per week. She and Walter had to stay behind because the plane had a limited number of seats. Kylie was the clients' daughter and she obviously had to go first. Toby was tasked with keeping the frightened girl sedated and calm.

Kylie's boyfriend Brady, and Cabe, who had him under arrest on kidnapping charges, both claimed spaces too. Arresting the boy was the only way to extricate him from the cult since he was considered a legal adult. The Homeland agent wasn't about to let another prisoner out of his sight and Paige certainly didn't blame him after what he went through with Mark Collins.

Finally, it was medically necessary for Happy to get the single remaining seat. She was pregnant and dehydrated, unable to keep anything down. She was in need of an IV infusion of fluids and electrolytes not to mention peace and quiet to rest.

While Paige understood and heartily agreed with the reasons the others had to go first, she was desperate to get home to good old LA, the bumper to bumper traffic, the smog, the fires and all. The thought of waiting another week was pure agony.

' _Uh, oh_ ,' she thought as she spied Walter walking through the doorway with a nervous expression on his face, ' _That look can't mean anything good_.'

Keeping her irritation to herself, Paige tried to smile at him reassuringly when she said, "I'm guessing you didn't have any luck?"

The seat huffed an annoyed sigh in her stead as her boyfriend plopped down on the bench beside her. He shook his head. "Uh, no. I was successful in finding us a way home. We leave tonight."

"Best. Boyfriend. Ever!" Paige exclaimed. She was overcome with appreciation for his efforts so she grabbed him by the ears and planted a firm kiss right on his mouth expressing her sheer gratitude.

Walter grinned sheepishly back at her when she drew away and she whooped softly in relief. "Well, that's the only good news. The flight isn't exactly first class," he said.

"At this point, I don't care if we have to swim part of the way," she answered.

He chuckled, and squeezed her hand. "I don't think that will be necessary."

"What exactly are the arrangements?"

He threaded his fingers through hers and scooted closer, "Um, do you remember Jim Corbin?"

Paige narrowed her eyes in concentration for a moment trying to dredge up the memory, then she nodded and said, "Was he the lieutenant who came with us on that mission in Bosnia? The one where we rescued a pilot?"

"Yes. That's him. He has a military buddy who's coming back from a supply run to Puerto Rico. It's not far out of her way to swing by here and pick us up on the way back."

"Wow, that was a minute ago. What made you think of him?" Paige asked, sincerely confused.

"You said you wanted to get home by any means necessary. I took you at your word and thought back to every contact we've made who wouldn't mind doing us a favor." Walter shrugged.

She pressed her cheek to his shoulder. "Well, I'm suitably impressed. You really did pull out all the stops."

"The plane should arrive in the next couple of hours barring complications or unforeseen circumstances."

"Bite your tongue. I'm hoping for _something_ to go smoothly on this trip. I want to get as far away from that disgusting cult and its disturbing compound as I can as soon as possible. And I never want to think about this mission again. I just want to put this whole experience behind me."

Paige felt Walter go momentarily tense beside her. He fell immediately silent and shifted uneasily in his seat. When she looked up into his face, he wouldn't meet her eyes.

' _Great. Just great_ ,' was her thought, but she didn't say it aloud. Instead, she asked, "Walter? What is it? What aren't you telling me?"

It was then the stammering started. "Um,…N-nothing. Nothing to, uh, worry about. A minor detail. Th-that's all. Easily remedied. If-if you want. It-it's fine. All good."

Paige gritted her teeth to keep from sniping at him. Whatever the 'minor detail' was, it wasn't his fault. Probably. Okay, maybe.

She took a deep breath and made herself say as calmly as possible, "Let me guess. One of us has to stay behind? Or we have to parachute out over the garage? We have to ride strapped to the wings? Just spit out the bad news already. And make it quick so I can scream internally and get it over with."

"It has nothing to do with our method of transport at all."

The tenuous hold Paige had on her patience snapped. "What then?! What mess have we gotten ourselves into now, Walter?"

"We're married, okay?" He blurted, cringing as if waiting for her to strike.

She bit her lip, but it was no use. She started giggling while he looked at her like she had lost all sense.

When he didn't join in the laughter or even crack a smile, she quickly sobered and asked, "Are you serious? Did I miss something? I'm pretty sure I would have remembered marrying you. Unless those fruitcake shysters drugged me or brainwashed… Wait. What day is this? Am I missing time…?"


	2. Chapter 2

MARRIED BY MISTAKE

 **AN: Many, many thanks for the encouraging reviews. They make my silly efforts worth it! Without further ado, here's the finale:**

In hindsight, interrupting Paige and bluntly telling her she needed to calm down and stop talking wasn't the wisest approach. She certainly didn't take it very well. But in his defense, Walter observed she was approaching hysterical and that condition wasn't conducive to listening to the explanation she herself requested much less to contriving a logical and mutually beneficial solution.

Plus, he was slightly…perturbed she would be so upset to find herself accidentally married to him. He'd always assumed they would end up here at some point. It just happened a little sooner than they both expected. It bothered him more than a little to think she might not have had that same eventual goal in mind.

He still should've taken 'the high road'.

Because Paige snatched her hand out of his and stormed out claiming to 'want some air'.

He let her go. It was considerate on his part to give her space. He was definitely not pouting.

After less than five minutes into 'allowing her space', he couldn't leave it alone any longer. He had to go and find her. Walter owed her an explanation. Plus, he was compelled to discover exactly why she was so upset by the situation in which they found themselves.

The genius spotted her on the little stretch of beach north of the airstrip. She was seated on a small, dry dune, her sandals beside her, and her bare toes were digging twin mounds in the soft, sugar-white sand. She stared out at the ocean, tossing her toffee colored hair over her shoulders when the breeze blew it across her face.

Walter was temporarily struck dumb. She was absolute perfection.

And she was his _wife_ … if only for the moment.

Shaking his head to clear it, he forced himself to look at the water, concentrating on the undulation of the waves and mentally calculating the acceleration and amplitude to give his overheated brain something else to do. His normal source of calm wasn't happy with him, so he resorted to other methods to regain some equilibrium.

Paige shaded her eyes and looked up at his approach, but she didn't say anything.

His first apology got snatched away by the wind, so he waited until he was settled next to her and tried again. "I was rude. I'm sorry."

Walter didn't realize how much anxiety he'd been experiencing until he was swamped with relief when Paige leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder.

He felt rather than heard her sigh. "I was shocked and I over reacted. I'm sorry too," she said softly, but she still sounded upset.

Walter couldn't think of the necessary words to broach the touchy subject of their unexpected and evidently unwelcome marriage, so he was grateful when Paige was the first one to speak.

"Do you want to tell me exactly how this happened?" She finally asked.

He'd learned a few things in the time they'd been together, so he wisely chose not to remind her he was attempting to do that very thing previously when she'd gotten angry and walked out.

Instead, wincing slightly, he answered, "It was the initiation ceremony when we were trying to infiltrate the cult." When he received an incredulous look in return, he quickly continued, "I know. I know. The leaders are crackpots and con artists, but unfortunately they are also legally ordained officiates. And we willingly participated in the 'hand fasting' ritual at the beginning. Then we signed the register with our true, legal names."

Paige pulled away from him, her jaw dropping, "But… we never applied for a license! There was no waiting period. How can this be legally binding? I still don't get it!"

Walter scrubbed a hand down his face. "Sylvester told me it actually has to do with the _lack_ of official government on this island. The permanent residents here are self-governing. Licenses aren't required. It won't affect Toby and Happy because they're already married. Similarly it won't affect Brady and Kylie because she's underage." His voice trailed off when he added, "You and I though…"

Wrapping her arms around her bent legs, she let her forehead drop to her knees. "What are we going to do?" Her words were muffled, but her tone was distressed and it twisted something inside him.

Eyeing her sidelong, completely out of his depth, Walter was grasping at straws trying to find a way to reassure his girlfriend even as he was fighting the hurt of knowing she plainly found the idea of being married to him repugnant. In a resigned voice he said, "Don't worry. Sylvester tells me we can have it annulled in a matter of a month or two. If you want I can tell him to start working on the proceedings right away."

Her head came up and her eyes met his. The hopeful expression in them…was painful to see.

Abruptly, Walter stood and brushed the sand off the back of his pants. "I'm going back to the airport to await our plane," he said sharply, not willing to hear how happy she would be to dissolve her union with him.

Before he could stride away, she grabbed his hand and tugged insistently until he sat back down beside her.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Paige asked, her gaze narrowed on his face. When he offered no reply, her eyes widened and she said, "Wait. You can't _want_ this?"

He glowered at the ocean. "What if I do?" He bit out then resumed his well-justified sulk.

Paige leaned in and tried to kiss the corner of his mouth, but he jerked his head to the side and scooted away earning him an amused and indulgent smile. "You want to be married to me?" She asked, her smile widening and her eyes brightening.

"I don't guess it matters considering they way you obviously feel about it," he grumbled.

She hugged his arm. "You're misunderstanding me. I'm not upset about being married to you. I just wouldn't have chosen these circumstances."

Suddenly his heart was pounding in his chest. "So… So, uh, there are circumstances where you'd be okay with being married to-to me?"

"There are many circumstances where I would love to find myself married to you, Walter O'Brien. But my idea of a dream wedding never happened in a cult compound during a case. I've pictured it more taking place after a sweet proposal then having a nice ceremony with our friends present. That would be ideal. And I always thought if I ever got married I'd want Ralph to walk me down the aisle. Why? Are you proposing?" She tilted her head to one side and her eyes were teasing but there was an underlying uncertainty in her face too.

Walter's mouth tipped up at one corner. "I've always kind of thought I'd want Ralph as my best man. He's a smart kid. I guess he could probably serve both functions." Looking down at his hands, he continued quietly, "Hypothetically if I _was_ proposing under these particular circumstances, what would you say?"

Paige playfully swatted his shoulder. "That's a cop out. I said I wanted a _sweet_ proposal. Not a hypothetical one. You should at least say why you'd like to be married to me," she prompted.

Throat feeling dry all of the sudden, Walter swallowed hard. His pulse was jumping around erratically. "Um, P-paige…"

"Go on," she coaxed when he fell silent.

"You already know I'm in love with you. B-because I, uh, told you. At-at Toby and Happy's…well, you know. We could have whatever kind of ceremony you'd like when we get home…maybe not in a parking lot if possible. Even though I'd marry you any place you want. Because the fact is, being with you has made me happier than I ever thought possible. I would strive to be a good husband… with your help, of course." He scratched nervously at his neck. "I never thought I'd want to spend the rest of my life with a normal human, but I can't imagine my life without you any more. The thing is… Would you consider staying married to me? I would appreciate it… a lot." He stopped and sat stiff and frozen waiting for her response to his stumbling, confusing, garbled question.

Her answer was to pull his face down to her level and kiss him tenderly on the lips.

"Now that was sweet," Paige said once they drew apart. "Walter, I would love to stay married to you. And have the do-over celebration of our choosing once we get home. We're a little out of order, but I think I can live with that."

The genius couldn't prevent his ear-to-ear grin, his happiness and the rapid reduction of nervous tension making him light headed. When he finally went back and analyzed what she'd said, he had to ask, "What do you mean out of order?"

Paige giggled, seeming a little giddy herself. "Well, we fell in love. Then we dated other people. Then we got married. Then you proposed. And we've already started planning the wedding all before I get my engagement ring. My life has been pretty unpredictable since we met."

"I guess we've never done anything the convention way. At least it's never boring?"

In the next instant they were kissing like it would be their last opportunity, when in fact it was the first of a lifetime of opportunities.


End file.
